The first series, filmed during the first half of last year, has enjoyed excellent viewer numbers in New Zealand, Australia, the United States and Germany, as well as on video-on-demand (VOD).
Local-based Screentime NZ CEO Philly de Lacey, whose company co-produced the first four-part series with Germany’s Real Film Berlin, says she can’t comment at this stage.
However, Mountain Scene understands a new five-part series is close to being officially green-lit, providing once again a huge shot in the arm for Queenstown, not only for the spend in the resort for the duration of the shoot but in terms of promoting the destination, and New Zealand, to an international audience.
De Lacey says ratings for the first season, which had a budget of about $15 million, exceeded expectations.
"In New Zealand it performed phenomenally well, and then the Australian audience exceeded our expectations, with really strong viewing numbers in prime time."
It’s subsequently been shown in the US - "we were absolutely thrilled with the audience reception to it" - before debuting last month in Germany, where it’s titled Queenstown Murders with the sub-title Drop-Dead Gorgeous.
"We’ve hit a really broad demographic, sort of young and old audiences."
In an email last month to various bigwigs, including Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, De Lacey relates how A Remarkable Place to Die launched on Germany’s ZDF with 2.5 million viewers and a 17.6% channel share, as against an average 15%, in addition to very strong VOD numbers.
"It has now been a huge hit in Australia, NZ, the US and Germany, and couldn’t be a better calling card/advertisement for NZ, showcasing the stunning scenery of Otago.
"In the US, [US magazine.com] selected it in the top five shows to watch on Acorn [in April]."
De Lacey tells Scene its success stems from both its genre - "I mean, it’s cosy crime, or chocolate box crime" - and having Queenstown as "an absolutely stand-out location".
She also reflects on the downstream benefits from last year’s shoot, which took just over 70 days.
"When you think of all the different sectors film work touches, from construction to medical, to catering, accommodation, choppers, everything, our tentacles spread very wide.
"We tried to hire as many people locally as we could but probably about two-thirds [out of about 140 cast and crew] were from out of town, so we’re housing people here for six months."
De Lacey says locals "just opened their doors to us and helped with props, helped with everything - we felt a lot of love in making the series".
That first series also benefited from the producers leasing the former H&J Smith’s department store at Frankton’s Remarkables Park, which had just become vacant, for wet-weather cover, housing the crew and accommodating four sets, including a police station and a morgue.
Since then, Screentime NZ’s leased it full-time as Remarkable Studios NZ, for use by any production company.
Ahead of A Remarkable Place’s second series, Screentime’s also shooting there its own cooking competition series, Taste of Art.
